


Monsters

by truc



Series: Superbatweek 2019 prompts [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics), Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Alien Invasion, Angst, Dark, Demons, Despair, Genocide, History, Humans against Kryptonians, Krypton au, Love in dark times, M/M, Monsters, War, superbatweek2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-22 20:05:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19989739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/truc/pseuds/truc
Summary: Primitives humans are fighting a war against Kryptonians on Krypton. When Kal gets caught by humans, he's sure he will be killed until Monster, the worst humanity has to offer, saves his life. Kal is now stuck in the human's home.***"Wars turn us all into monsters."-Bruce WayneDay 3 of the Superbat Week 2019 prompt: Krypton AU





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure how I feel about this one. I've had it in my mind for a while, but it didn't exactly turn out like I thought it would.

Kal El had heard of war since the beginning of the human invasion. Rao, he had written about war since Krypton had been overrun by uncivilized humans. He had written about the strength of the faithful Kryptonian; he had sung of their splendours and bravery; he had published poems upon poems about the villainous invasion and the civilians being murdered were they stood, be they, infants or elders.

Kal El had never once seen and heard war with his own eyes. Until now.

For all the drills the military had forced unto civilians, nothing could prepare him to the smell and weight of death.

All the pictures and holograms of war always depicted a clear delimitation between humans and Kryptonians. Nothing could have been farther from the truth. Humans and Kryptonians walked, yelled and died the same. Their uniforms, barely distinguishable in the dust, could have been reversed and nobody would have noticed the difference. From Kal El's hiding spot, near the university's podium he'd been asked to appear as the main guest speaker, he could only cringe at the cacophony, vertiginous movements and slight shaking of the floor under him.

The situation was chaotic. He truly, for the love of Rao, couldn't figure out who he should be turning for help.

It was messy. Bloody. Loud. 

And he'd barely seen the corpses of the massacred students and professors. He couldn't tell who killed them. Men and women ran and floated in and out of the room until they lied on the ground, dying or dead. Kal found himself blocking his ears and praying Rao for the Warriors to save him.

He'd already lost contact with his parents. The humans must have installed a communication containment shield around the area to throw the Kryptonians into confusion.

Kal closed his eyes when he noticed, through the damaged cabinet door, that several soldiers were now stalking the room with their lasers and burning the bodies that occupied the floor, whether alive or dead. 

He'd seen almost nothing; it was still too much. Tears streaked his cheeks. His stomach wanted to push its content out; wanted to purify his body from the stench of burning skin. Kal swallowed down his desire. If he made a sound, they'd kill him. He bit his tongue to stop from retching.

Rao, he prayed, send me help.

He opened his eyes to watch their progress in the room.

The soldiers came by his cabinet, systemically riding the world of fallen Kryptonians. They didn't flinch at the destruction they wrecked on the Kryptonians, almost as if killing required no forethought at all. Contrary to the Kryptonians, for the aliens, killing was part of their instincts.

He could hear them talking in a foreign language that sounded particularly harsh to his ears.

The soldiers were meticulous in their search for survivors. It was only a matter of time before they would find his hiding space. He needed something, anything, with which he could at least defend himself. He looked down at his clothing; a simple formal tunic, pants and his usual footwear. His family circlet resting upon his forehead felt ridiculous in the circumstances. Even with surprise on his side, he doubted he would be able to run far.

A human entered the room. He spoke with a booming and growling voice that immediately captured everyone's attention. The soldiers answered with one syllable (if the strange sound could be called that). The human walked closer to Kal's hiding place. He could guess this man was important in the alien's hierarchy with the way the soldiers seemed to defer to him. Maybe they were even scared of him.

May it as it was, the man spoke again. Kal leaned cautiously forward on the cabinet's door to watch the conversation. He panicked when he saw that was the end of it. The soldiers already resumed their activities.

The commanding man looked around, piercing blue eyes from under his black hair. Kal's eyes widened in fear. He scrambled back, hitting the back of the cabinet with a dull thud. Rao!

The soldiers amalgamated themselves of the door and opened it slowly, lasers drawn on him. Kal felt his heart thundering in his chest. The aliens' hands were steady as they aimed their lasers at him. 

This was how he would die. Alone, cold and surrounded by enemies.

He heard the same booming voice he'd previously heard. The soldiers froze in their serious posture.

A soldier brusquely grabbed him by the arm and forced him up. He was pulled to the commanding man, the one, if Kal now correctly guessed, who was known as Monster among the Kryptonian.

From closer, his stoicism and sharp features made him look more imposing. Kal could feel his limbs trembling in the soldier's grip.

Monster looked at him critically before asking in a heavily accentuated Kryptonian: "Are you Kal-El, the renown poet?"

Kal's mouth fell open. Monster could speak his tongue?

The man's gaze intensified as he slowly repeated as if testing the foreign words: "Are you Kal-El, the renown poet?"

"Yes, I am," Kal vaguely answered, suddenly afraid Monster could read minds. He was, after all, the one who had single-handedly annihilated the Warriors' main headquarters.

"Do you want to live?" Monster asked.

What kind of question was that? Who wouldn't want to live? Was he taunting Kal?

Kal refused to play this man's game. The soldier shook him and barked something in his ear.

Kal pressed close his mouth. He would not embarrass his family with undignified behaviour, even if it meant enduring torture. The Kals had integrity if nothing else.

The commanding man nodded and ordered something to the soldier before turning away with his black cape snapping behind him.

Kal was dragged, under the angry eyes and insults (for which he didn't need any translation to hear their animosity), by two soldiers. They angrily pushed him into a Kryptonian civilian ship. He wasn't even bounded, yet, even him, with his unexistent experience in battle, could see why attempting to escape this place was doomed from the start. He could see the dozens of soldiers with fingers on their lasers, ready to shoot him at the first convenient excuse.

What were they doing to him? Experiments? He shuddered. He'd heard whispers, more than once, on the humans 'testing' Kryptonians' limits. Kal had refused to speak to the monster in charge of his people's massacre. Maybe they'd reserved something particularly dreadful for him.

After a while, the soldiers started chatting with each other in a foreign language. It still sounded better than the university's students' screams that echoed in Kal's mind.

Finally, the ship landed. Soldiers grabbed Kal and pulled him to the exit. The ground was covered with crystal huts, Kryptonian temporary shelters, mostly used for research purpose. 

The humans near the huts surrounded him, barely letting enough place for the soldiers to drag Kal through the crowd. He could feel the hatred in their gazes, breathe and words.

He had no doubt he was perilously close to being ripped to pieces by these bloodthirsty creatures.

The two soldiers hurried him to a black coloured hut.

One human knocked on the door. Kal, petrified, wondered whether he was testing the solidity of the material before shoving Kal into it.

The door opened and an ebony-skinned kid appeared. The soldiers spoke to the kid in the same harsh language they had previously used. The kid glanced once, curiously, at Kal before disappearing inside again.

Kal waited, uncertain of the hut's purpose in his fate. The door opened again and, this time, it was the same commanding man Kal had spoken to. The man's eyes carefully perused him before he gave a small gesture in his subordinate's direction. Kal was pushed inside and the door closed behind. Kal swallowed as he noticed he was left alone in some sort of living room with Monster.

"The rules here are simple. One, you are not to harm anyone living in this house. Two, do not step outside the house. Disobey the second rule; you will be killed. Disobey the first rule; you will wish you were killed."

Kal blinked at the strange rules spoken with a precise technique in his mother tongue.

"The room on the left is yours. The restroom is beside it. The living area and the kitchen are here. Don't enter the other rooms without permission."

Kal gazed at the location and he couldn't find anything that contradicted the impression this was a home. Why was he brought here? What did Monster want from him?

"Any questions?" The commanding human snapped Kal out of his thoughts. He shook his head. Was that the right move?

Monster gave him another once-over before saying "Good" and leaving Kal alone.

Kal entered his room and he was surprised to see the walls weren't bare at all; Kryptonian poems, paintings, holograms cluttered the room. Thankfully, the bed was clear of objects. Kal, without undressing or removing his shoes, shoved himself in between the sheets and closed his eyes, hoping he would wake up from this peculiar nightmare.


	2. Duke

Kal woke up as the sun's rays flooded his room from above. He breathed in the nice tingling sensation sunlight lent him. Somehow, the slight burning always made him feel strong enough to start anew.

As usual, Kal counted his blessings.

Thank Rao for my parents that have given me love. Thank Rao for my talents in arts. Thank Rao for my friends who have given me their trust and support. Thank Rao for the sun that always shines upon us. Thank Rao for your teachings on how to live a fulfilling life.

Kal breathed in his gratitude.

He had to prepare for his poem presentation at the university he had attended as a youth. With war raging all over, people needed some beauty in their lives. Maybe he would recite Cantry on the Desert Sands or the Lovely Summerfliant. Wistfulness and innocence. Quiet and calming desires that had nothing to do with the growling pain that was this world's warring state.

Kal reached for his work tablet and became perplexed when he couldn't find it. He looked in his outstretched hand's direction and found nothing. There was no table nor work tablet in the room. Only holograms' sculptures, poems or rolls of Kryptonian stories.

Kal bolted awake.

Yesterday's massacre was vividly etched in his mind as he felt tremors running up and down his body. Screams. Cries. Smoke. Burned skin. Run. Grey figures came in. Panic. More deaths. Kal was alone, waiting for his turn. And everyone on stage died. The students ran, death hot at their heels.

One by one they fell. Kal's self-preservation instincts finally kicked in and he hid as best as he could. Perspiration fell on his neck. Time meant nothing to a hunted fugitive.

Bloodthirsty creatures were surrounding him, death in their arms.

Then, the worst of them, Monster, came and found some usefulness to Kal's continued existence.

Kal heaved the bile on the floor until his stomach was empty. Kal cleaned his mouth with his sleeve.

Where was he?

Observe, analyze and plan, his mentor had once drilled him.

The Art guild, even for one as creatively talented as Kal, was not one where lazy bones could survive. Of the six guilds, the Art one was the one who had to deal with the construction and design. Notwithstanding Kal's notoriety with poetry, he still had to pay his social dues.

Kal slowly combed over the room, fiddling with the various objects: none of them had any sharp edges. When he had finished parsing the room, he found a blank scroll to write the total of his finds. Nothing seemed promising for an eventual escape except the bed's sheets.

The room felt like a sanctuary; Kal was not in a hurry to leave this room. Unfortunately, he had to collect facts to improve his decision-making process.

Kal's knuckles trembled as they traced the door. Whichever crystals the primitives had used, they were sturdy enough to survive a physical attack. His heart almost leapt from his chest with its erratic movements. Rao, give me strength.

He pushed the interrupter to open the door. It swooshed open.

...It wasn't even locked...

His eyes dartingly took in the common quarters: primitive furniture populated both the kitchen area and the living room. The ebony kid was sitting on the sofa with something obscuring his ears. His casual posture certainly didn't look threatening.

Monster wasn't there. Kal took a fortifying breath and walked in the common area. The kid's eyes observed him making his way, but he otherwise remained motionless.

No weapons were within his reach. Kal was taller and heavier. Nobody else seemed near. Kal considered overpowering the kid and disappearing from whatever sick game this was.

However, Kal remembered Monster's words: Hurt anyone here and you will wish you were dead.

Besides, it would be foolish to act before he had further information about his new setting.

The kid removed the things in his ears and gave him a quick once-over.

"You're certainly braver than the last one," The young adult said in a softer and more organic Kryptonian than Monster had used.

Last one? There had been others before him? Did every one of the aliens know Kryptonian?

As the young adult seemed to be categorizing his reactions, Kal forced his face to be blank. "Yes, there were others. Didn't ***** tell you why he brought you here?"

"Who?" The name sounded so scrambled Kal couldn't recognize it.

"Boose," the young adult seemed to repeat. When he saw Kal had no idea who this 'Boose' was, he explained: "The guy who brought you here."

Monster? He had a name?

The cogs in Kal's mind finally started to work. Of course, they had to distinguish themselves from each other. Even if they were primitive; it didn't mean they didn't develop a sense of self. 

"What's your name?" Kal politely asked.

"D*k*," The young adult made no difficulty in responding.

"Sorry?"

"Duke."

"Duck?" Kal attempted.

The other gave a small smile. "Not quite. I suppose that'll be as close to it you'll get."

Kal filed the information about the human and pondered what exactly was the young adult's role in all of this. "Are you my... jailer?"

The other shook his head and gestured to the sofa, probably indicating Kal should sit. Kal sat as far away from the young adult as he could.

"I compile data," the young adult started. "That's my job."

Kal felt unsure how much he could ask. The boy didn't look threatening, yet, he was living in the same crystal hut as Monster. He must be some sort of special asset to Monster.

Duck sat up straighter and pushed a work pad in his direction. "I've been tasked to collect cultural and artistic information about the Kryptonians, starting as far back as I can. As one of the most renown artist in this world, surely you can give me a hand?"

Kal slowly took the work pad, still eying Duck cautiously. The communication beacon was off, probably permanently; he couldn't use the device to communicate with Warriors.

He swiftly went through the files and; true to Duck's word, there were descriptions of the social, cultural and artistic evolution of the Kryptonian civilization since it's first written history. Although it was aimed at a foreign audience, the information was mostly exact.

"Why are you doing this?" Kal felt brave enough to ask.

The young adult drew up his knees closer to his chest. "Boose wants to create a Kryptonian archive."

Still, it didn't explain why he wanted to create it in the first place; they were at war after all; it certainly wasn't the appropriate time to create a social and artistic archive.

At Kal's polite but dubious expression, Duck asked, "Would you like to contribute your expertise?"

Kal's fingers gripped the work pad. This felt off: the setting, the people and the goal. "What happens if I don't?"

Duck shrugged. "I'll continue to work on it. You're not forced to help."

Will you kill me? Or find another use for me?

Kal realized it wouldn't be prudent to refuse.

It would prove his worth without endangering anyone. This wasn't supporting the enemies... At least, it wouldn't count. Kal would never share military secrets or techniques. But this? No Thinkers or Warriors could see the use of the history of Kryptonians' cultural refinement. This wasn't even toeing the line. Besides, he did need more information on his situation.

"What do you want from me?" Kal asked his new boss; the quicker he could get to work, the less he'd think about yesterday's massacre. Duck gestured he should give him back his work pad. Kal wordlessly obeyed.

Duck brought forward a table of contents. "I've been trying to divide the Kryptonian history into different periods. Does this division seem appropriate?"

Kal glanced at the table of contents and was impressed by the proposed history even if it wasn't exactly like school had taught him.

"It seems..."

Duck seemed interested in his hesitation. "Are there any mistakes? I tried to get access to some of the public informational network here, however, that seems to be... unavailable to us because of the distance."

That was true. The rural areas in Krypton had usually better network access to compensate for their physical isolation. However, that all changed when the humans invaded the planet; the Council had ordered all area that could be seized by the enemy be severed from the network.

It was atrocious to cut all of those Kryptonians from their beloved, yet needed for the greater good of Krypton. The sacrifice of some for the survival of the majority. 

However, even for the Kryptonian people at large, very little information was available about the invasion's progress. Kal hadn't known the humans were even close to the University. Would it have made any difference if he had known?

"Kal?"

Duck looked at him, face blank. "Do you need a break?"

But I haven't even started on my work, Kal wanted to say. His hands were shaky. Duck gestured to the kitchen, "Get some food in you. There are also some clothes you can use from that closet. They're extras."

Showing weakness to the enemy, even one as seemingly innocuous as Duck, wasn't part of Kal's reconnaissance plan.

"Thanks," Kal used the formal phrasing; showing there was no familiarity between them. He rose to his feet and walked up to the preparation area.

Duck picked up his ear-thingies and plugged them in his ears again. Did all humans do that? It seemed so... unsanitary and disgusting.

Kal found prepackaged food that seemed to have a Kryptonian origin. Even he wasn't hungry at all, he forced himself to eat the ration while he observed Duck manipulate his work pad at an impressive speed.

The room fell quiet like the calm before the storm.

One of the rooms that weren't Kal's opened up and a gorgeous woman, dressed in dark green pants and a tunic, stepped in the living area.

She glanced at Kal and her eyes roved much more minutely over him. If Duck's gaze over him had been simple and perfunctory; her's was incredibly invasive and tinted in more than mild curiosity. Kal had not often attracted this type of gaze.

"You're the new Kryptonian pet?" the woman said in a less than perfect Kryptonian pronunciation (compared to Duck's and Monster's), but with sexuality dripping out of hers. Kal had the insight she didn't care to box herself in Kryptonian's pronunciation conventions even if she could.

Pet?

Duck removed his ear-thingies and looked at her. "Play nice."

The black-haired woman smiled at the kid. "Duck. Since when do you play the arbitrator?"

The kid answered in the foreign language and the lady laughed. "Boose," she turned in Kal's direction, "seems to favour you. He's even got you a guard-dog."

Guard-dog? Kal understood the words but not the context in which they were spoken.

The lady strutted in his direction, her hips swaying with her movements. With a delicate touch of her hands, she raised his chin. "Mmmm. My, you're such a pretty bird, I'd like to take a bite out of you."

Bite? Did they eat Kryptonians? Kal felt his panic rising through his toes to his chest.

"Selina," the kid called out, "Be nice. Broose (Boose?)'s orders."

The pretty lady winked at Kal. "If you're ever bored, come find me." She turned in the kid's direction and asked him something in the foreign language. Kal mildly recognized the name of Broose in it. Duck gestured to one room.

The lady swaggered to the door and used her hand to open the door's security. Kal saw her disappear inside.

He took the opportunity to finish eating and he set his utensils to be washed.

Monster walked in the room, Selina at his heels. Monster stopped when he saw Kal.

"You're up?" He asked with a frown. Kal lowered his head and nodded.

Duck talked in the foreign language and Monster seemed to listen intently. Kal could feel the gaze still on him.

"You're in shock," Monster stated. It took Kal a moment to realize he was being addressed. He darted a look at Monster. The human looked as grim as death.

"Kal," Monster hesitated as he said his name. "Take some clothes from the closet and go rest. Duck could use your help after you've rested a bit."

Kal mechanically followed his orders, feeling the weight of all of the hut's inhabitants on him as he took the first tunic and pants from the closet and walked (thank Rao he had enough control not to run) back to his room.

Kal fell to the ground, limbs shaking, eyes watering. He'd survive another encounter with Monster...

He cried to sleep in his new clothes.


	3. Selina

As strange as it sounded, Kal's days fell into a routine.

He'd wake up (if he was lucky enough to have to fall asleep), categorize everything in his room to verify no one had changed anything and change his clothes.

He would take his breakfast meal and work with Duke (he now knew how to pronounce the name in the foreign language) to fix and expand his archive. Duke was a diligent worker that listened to Kal's proposals. They'd eat lunch together while discussing some human or Kryptonian's quirks. Those conversations gave Kal a new understanding of the primitive race.

Then, they went back to work.

Normally, they would eat supper later that evening. The food was okay though unimaginative. Most days, nothing else happened and Kal could almost believe he was part of an interplanetary exchange program. Even if he wasn't allowed outside.

Duke was amicable and smart. Although he professed a lack of artistic perception, he caught on nuances quite quickly.

Some days, Selina came home and flirted (that was what Duke called it) with Kal until he flustered red. Apparently, according to Duke, she was trying to establish a new record on how quickly she could make him blush. Even as strange as being cruised upon by the sensual lady was, he could almost believe he was among colleagues. Nobody ever spoke of the war; most times, it felt as if there was no war.

Until Monster came along.

Kal had been thankful to learn that Monster barely stayed in his main housing facility; according to Duke, he was in charge of the entirety of the human expedition on Krypton.

However, on the rare days that Monster came home, Kal could feel the war's tension follow him around like a cloud clinging to his soul. It was then impossible not to remember the war and the countless Kryptonians the humans were killing. On those days, Kal felt sickened by his contribution, as meagre as it was, to the human side.

On the days that Monster was home, Kal would turn into a fidgeting and stuttering mess. He'd hide in his room as long as he thought he could get away with.

It wasn't as if Monster was even much present in the common area. Kal was scared of the war looming around the human and the hungry eyes he felt directed at him when the human was around. Meeting the human behind the horrible legend didn't diminish one bit his dangerousness; it only amplified it. If someone claimed that Monster could freeze a man's heart with his eyes, Kal would believe it in a heartbeat. There was something profoundly wrong with him. Even Zod, the legendary Warrior, seemed puny compared to Monster's deadly aura.

Monster would normally stay in his room on the rare day he came home. Selina was the only one who ever disturbed him in his retreat.

Kal had once asked Duke if Monster and Selina were Duke's parents. Duke had replied, "My parents are still on Earth. But Bruce and Selina are the closest to a family I have."

Kal didn't understand. He missed his parents more than anything. He doubted that would ever change.

He had compiled and discarded all of his escape plans one after the other. He could not see any way to get out of his place other than dead.

Disguising himself was not really an option; Kal had discovered that if even one part of his arm fell outside the home, blaring alarms resounded. It was not an experience he was eager to repeat. Duke had explained it by admitting that since humans and Kryptonians were so physically similar, every human building was equipped with biological scans Kal could not hope to tinker with.

Forcing his way out was a terrible idea. Kal had seen the exercises regimen Duke followed each morning; even the young adult could soundly defeat him within a few seconds. Kal had no experience and no training. Even though Duke seemed relaxed in his presence, it hadn't taken Kal long to notice the constant underlying tension in his body indicated that the boy was always alert. Kal wasn't crazy enough to think he could out-fight either Monster or Selina.

The floor couldn't be dug out and; the ceiling or walls couldn't be pierced by any objects Kal had on hand. Contrary to the crystals used in cities, this crystal was sturdy and graceless. It only grew close to the ground, making it unpopular in cities in which most Kryptonians resided in. Kal was not familiar with this type of crystal.

Kal had no access to any floating devices and he couldn't access anybody's room. 

In conclusion, Kal couldn't see any likely way to escape as things presently stood. He needed to reevaluate the situation as he went along.

He figured it was only a question of time until the human was driven back; Kryptonians, after all, were technologically superior and employed better warfare strategies. Kal only had to hang in until the tide changed.

Consequently, he invested all his energy in the harmless project he had with Duke.

One day, Selina walked in Monster's room and Kal heard a litany of murmurs before the door could close behind her. He tilted his head in Duke's direction. The kid's lips thinned. This was apparently another sore point.

Normally, Kal knew better than to discuss all the touchy subjects. This time, his curiosity overpowered his caution.

"What is making that sound?"

Duke's gaze found his eyes and he seemed to consider whether he should answer or not. "Bruce," Duke finally answered, "That is sound of Bruce praying a human God."

Kal blinked. Monster was pious?

Duke shook his head. "It's complicated."

"Is it?" Selina called from the doorway. She sported an amused smile. She paraded in the strange way she usually did. She sat on the couch. One of her hands cupped her chin as she smiled at Kal. "Pretty bird finally wants to know something?"

Kal felt this was a dangerous question. Or a test. Normally, he couldn't take her bait. However, he had grown restless.

"Yes," Kal honestly answered.

Selina lowered her eyelashes. "Feeling brave tonight? I thought you wanted to keep your distances from our inferior species." She looked at her nails. "It might be infectious, after all..."

Kal's gaze didn't waver. He was scared of Monster, not of her, despite the underhanded nature of her danger.

Selina rejoiced at his ongoing silence. "I'll let you in a secret..."

Duke tensed.

"Bruce is possessed by a powerful demon. He prays to keep him at bay a while longer," the black-haired woman whispered in the stunned silence. Seeing Kal's confused expression, Selina laughed. "You should see your face."

"Magic doesn't exist; it's a technology that has yet to be explained," Kal replied, still uneasy. "Only primitive culture believe in magic."

"Is that so?" Selina teased. "What other thing does our 'primitive culture' lack?"

It had taken Kal a long while to get used to what the humans called humour. Lies or sophistry would be how it was described in his world; both practices were frown upon in the Kryptonian society.

"Why?" Kal suddenly asked.

Selina blinked and cocked her head. When she was positioned as she was, it was hard not to notice the plunging neckline of her tunic- something that would have been scandalizing at his mother's meetings. He forced himself back on track.

"Why did humans come here? Why do you kill Kryptonians?"

In one careless moment, Kal had overstepped the careful boundaries he had erected; the limits he'd imposed himself in order to be able to live around these humans without going mad.

Duke leaned forward. "Didn't your Council provide you with all the answers?"

Kal kept quiet. Answering warfare questions was treason. Besides, if he could understand one thing from his interactions with the humans, it was that the reasons provided by the Council were too... inadequate. Yes, the humans may have randomly decided to invade Krypton, still, why Krypton? Earth was far away from here and he doubted they knew much about Krypton.

"You reevaluated your previous certainties in view of the information you have acquired while living here. You doubt their reasons," Duke observed. "You are smarter than most." Again the oblique reference to the other Kryptonians who had lived in Monster's hut...

Kal swallowed. It wasn't hard to guess what had happened to then: none of them were still around.

Selina smiled and rose. She walked behind Kal and leaned against the back of the couch, her arms resting on the back of it.

"Such a pretty bird," she whispered in his ear, sending shivers down his spine, "So smart, righteous and gorgeous... You know, I almost want to eat you up. I'd swallow you in one bite. But, where's the fun in that?"

Selina giggled ominously and walked back into her room. Kal gazed at her door until Duke coughed. He returned his attention to Duke. "Is she always like that...?"

Duke shrugged. "Don't listen to what she says. You'll probably last longer that way. She gets worse when she's bored."

The young adult hesitated. "Are you sure you want to know how the war started? You're not the first Kryptonian who ask me for more information. They didn't generally take it well... You're a pretty good helper; it'd be a pity to lose you now."

Kal's mouth dried up a bit. "What happened to them?"

Duke pursed his lips. "They did stupid things."

"Like what? I certainly don't want to end up dead like them."

The younger kid pondered the question for a while. "They did various things. Not all of them because of the information, though... Some took their lives. A few attempted to escape. Some attacked or tried to seduce me or Selina." Duke grimaced at that thought. Kal couldn't blame him; Selina seemed the type who seduced people, not the one who got seduced while Duke seemed the type who would see through such a transparent tactic.

"I doubt the information you'll give me will cause me to act like any of those options," Kal gently prodded. Information meant possibilities to change his current predicament.

Duke briefly closed his eyes. "Fine. But, I'm just guiding you in the right direction; I'm not giving you all the answers."

"The first question you need to ask yourself is how we even got to Krypton."

Kal mulled over that. It did sound a good starting point. Krypton was supposed to be many times more technologically advanced than Earth. He was aware that the humans on Krypton had lived the majority of their lives on Earth. How could a primitive civilization travel light-years of distance this quickly?

Later that evening, while he was lying in bed, Kal tried to organize his thoughts. He should place the facts he had acquired in a mental chart. Fiction (basically everything Selina told) should be placed on another mental chart because lies sprung from truths and half-truths. He then needed to find ways to cross-examine the information provided. Soon, he promised himself, he'd find his way out of here.

The next day, his resolution almost faltered when he noticed Monster was eating breakfast alone. He looked pale and tired. Scary.

His fists balled in determination. Monster should be the one who had the most information. Kal couldn't just quiver in fear in his room until the danger passed. He had been here long enough.

Kal prepared his breakfast and sat at the table. Monster looked up and both eyebrows rose. He didn't say anything. Kal's hands still shook; he still remembered the stories of Monster's power of destruction.

"Good morning," Kal forced out, his voice cracking.

"Good morning, Kal," Monster answered quite evenly if not entirely politely.

The conversation lapsed into awkwardness. What sort of subjects could you broach with such a being as Monster?

Monster cleared his throat. "Duke told me the archive is coming along nicely."

"It is."

Monster opened his mouth and closed it. His fingers tapped the table. After another prolonged silence, Monster said, "I have things I need to do. It was nice talking to you, Kal." With that, he cleaned up his breakfast and moved back into his room.

Kal breathed easier in his absence.

"He's so awkward, isn't he?" Selina said in an amused tone. Kal startled. She was leaning on the wall, her lips quirked up in a smirk. "It's just so adorable."

Kal wasn't sure how to answer the trick question so he preferred to ask his own. "What do you usually talk to him about?"

She slanted an eyebrow at him questionably, while still keeping her smile. He gestured to the table. "I'm looking for acceptable conversational topics for the next time I eat a meal with him. I'd rather not have to live through another breakfast like that."

Selina smiled a genuine smile as she sat opposite him. "Talk about yourself or your work. Then, Bruce wouldn't have to quiz poor Duke whenever he's home."

Kal nodded. The woman continued to look at him unerringly.

"What?"

"You stopped scuttering from him. I suppose you have more backbone than I had initially guessed. Good for you," Selina said as she drank some water.

Kal felt sick in his stomach. She seemed to see through his actions and let him continue anyway. Was this all a game for her?

He still had no idea what was driving her and her predator-like eyes.


	4. Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kal finally gets to know Monster...

Kal followed Selina's advice; each time he was stuck eating a meal with Monster, he'd fill the silence with descriptions of what he had accomplished on the archive project. His initial nervousness slowly disappeared when he saw that Monster never responded aggressively or impolitely to his conversational attempts.

Maybe it shouldn't have surprised Kal as it did that Monster had a genuine interest in the social and artistic Kryptonian archive since he was the one who had commissioned it. But it did.

Moreover, Monster had a keen interest in the project's details. He seemed to be reading regular updates from Duke when he was away.

Even if Kal still felt the uneasy cloud of destruction hanging around Monster and the hungry eyes on him, he started trying to make his mealtime coincide with Monster's as often as he could.

The human rarely gave information but, once in a while, Kal could grasp at straws. Back on Earth, the man had been rich enough to have a servant (and, yes, he had verified that finding with Duke). He also gathered the man hadn't been forced into exile to Krypton; he'd chosen this path on his own.

Kal's interest in Monster wasn't feigned. Even if he were scared of what he might discover along the way, he was determined to puzzle out which part of the man was mundane and which was monstrous. Were humans intricately set on the path of evil or did each of them choose their paths? 

One day, when Monster came back bloody and moody from his war, Kal felt the man's eyes resting on him with a tortured expression. Monster hid in his room for the rest of the day; Selina brought him his meals and she'd come back with an almost untouched plate. Kal saw Selina and Duke exchange a worried look. Kal still didn't understand enough to know why they were worried.

The following morning, Monster walked in the room while he was having breakfast with Duke.

"...Nightwing and Flamebird's representation in artworks, either literary or visual arts, has greatly evolved since the Quantz period," Kal finished saying before looking at the closed-off man quietly taking place at the table.

Duke pointed his spoon at Kal, "But why should we start at the Quantz period? I thought their representation changed throughout the previous period too. Before the Velare period, they were always presented as genderless. Suddenly, both were either depicted as two women or two men. What changed their interpretation of the myth?"

Kal hadn't thought much of the change of genderless to males or females until now. "Before the Velare period, it was heresy to show Rao's 'saints' as normal Kryptonians with basic needs such as bowel movements. They had to be above the Kryptonians' basic preoccupations to hear Rao's call."

"So," Duke added, "They were your equivalent of angels."

"Angels?"

"Beings or souls who did God's bidding," Monster quietly interjected. "They were supposed to be genderless."

Kal nodded.

"Why did they start to represent the two genderless beings as two male or two female?" Monster asked, intent focus on Kal.

Kal could feel himself shift. "The Cleric guild changed its doctrine around that period to endorse the idea that everyone had the possibility of achieving sainthood as long as they joined their guild. It's my theory that they needed to entice more members into their ranks to gain more financial support."

"Why two male and two female? Why not a male and a female?" Monster insisted.

"They didn't want to depict romantic love. The heroes' friendship or partnership was above anything motivated by lust or the need to procreate. Nightwing and Flamebird were soulmates in the truest sense of the word," Kal explained, slightly bothered by Monster's uncharacteristic interference.

Duke raised an eyebrow. "Do people of the same sex end together in Kryptonian society?"

"No." Kal frowned. Why would two persons of the same sex be together? The Codex couldn't create a child without a male and a female.

"That's another difference," Duke finally added, "between our cultures." He rose and headed to his room for his usual morning ablutions.

Now alone with him, Kal looked more attentively at Monster. The man's black hair was tousled and longer than usual; his beard was starting to show; his eyes drifted aimlessly in the kitchen and; his fingers were tapping the table distractedly.

"Aren't you eating?" Kal asked, curious more than concerned. Monster shook his head.

A silence followed, but not one that was as awkward as in their first conversations together.

"Haven't you yet realized why we think there is a need for the archive?" Monster nervously asked the wall.

Kal frowned. The human fled the room without further ado.

For the rest of the day, the question lingered in the back of Kal's mind. When he finally laid in his bed, with a restless mind, he started to deconstruct the question. Why would they need an archive?

First question. Who's the archive aimed at? Humans. That was the easy part.

Second question. Why would the humans need archives on Kryptonian's history? Why couldn't they use the Kryptonians' archives? Surely, they would be more complete...

Unless those were intentionally destroyed... Nevertheless, those archives were publically available. They'd either have to lose all network access (and why would humans destroy all the infrastructure? Except for spacecraft, Kal had heard that they normally left most buildings they captured intact.) or...

Kal sat up. That couldn't be the answer. He closed his eyes.

The facts spoke for themselves; except for himself and the few Kryptonians that had had his job, Kal had not heard of any Kryptonians who had survived any of the human's attack. Since he had started living among them, he hadn't wanted to believe that particular rumour; he had wanted it to be another exaggeration, another propaganda artifice. If it were true, humans were even worse than he was beginning to think.

He felt sick he had eaten and made friends with them. If it were true...

Kal didn't sleep one wink that night.

In the morning, the next day, Duke gave him a wary glance. "Kal? You look awful, man."

The Kryptonian swallowed his apprehension and asked point-blank, "Are the humans trying to eradicate the Kryptonians?"

Duke's face blanked. "Who told you that?"

"Ah. So, I'm right," Kal laughed darkly. "Your goal is the total annihilation of Kryptonians. You want a genocide." His hysterical laughter transformed into bitter tears without transition. He buried his head in his arms, sobbing. 

His mother, his father, his cousin, his uncles and aunts; if the humans had any say in the matter, they'd die. His hands gripped alternatively, his hair, shoulders; they clutched his chest. His nails bit into his skin and he couldn't make himself care about it. He couldn't breathe. He was dying. Here. Surrounded by enemies who were plotting his death. His vision blurred on the edge. Breathing hurt. His chest constricted. There was no air getting in his chest. No air. He was dying and it hurt.

"Deep breathe. In. Out. In. Out," a calm voice instructed him. He could feel someone cautiously touching his back. Kal recoiled from the touch.

"In. Out. In. Out," the monotone voice repeated.

He couldn't. He was dying. Lack of air. The room was too small.

"Kal," Someone continued, "Please listen to me. In. Out. In. Out. This is a panic attack; you're not really dying."

Kal couldn't breathe! His throat burned. He realized he was panting crazily.

"Bruce, it's not working," another voice called out.

"Shush. Breath in. Breath out."

Kal's hand gripped clothes and he attempted to anchor himself in the feeling of reality.

"That's good. Think of your poems. Where goes the petals when the flower burns?"

It rebirthed. Kal knew. This had been one of his favourite poem he'd ever written.

"Down it fell. Stomped and abandoned by all under Rao's glorious rays."

Kal felt his throat minutely relax. "Kal?" Duke asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm..." He wasn't fine. He was a war prisoner. He was among enemies. They'd eventually kill him and not feel any regret. Monsters.

Duke touched his back. "Come on, I'll help you get back to your room. Take a break, okay?"

Kal nodded and finally lifted his head. There was nobody other and Duke and himself in the common area. The younger adult helped him on his feet and gently guided him back to his room.

"Do you need water?"

Kal sprawled on his bed, hand on his head. "Leave me alone." He remembered why he liked Duke when the other actually followed his instructions.

How long had Kal tried to forget the war waging outside?

He only needed to remember the day everything changed. Blood. Smoke. Yells. Panic. Closet. Suffocating. Lasers. Humans pointing laser guns at him. Monster appearing in all of his sombre glory. Death had never seemed closer to Kal's skin.

They'd capture Kal to give him the task of preparing an archive that humans could read to understand Kryptonians. There would be no Kryptonians left alive.

Foolish Kal. Making friends hadn't made it easier to escape. It made it easier to resent them when he finally learned the truth.

He needed to escape this gilded cage and help the Kryptonian side win; Monster and his army had to be stopped at all cost.

His mind returned to his chart of escape strategies.

He couldn't see how to deactivate the Kryptonian sensor and he didn't even know where it was located; it would be doubtful anyone of this household would make the mistake of showing the location.

Force seemed like a suicidal option. Now more than never.

Other Kryptonians had made escape attempts. Duke had told him some had tried to seduce or attack Selina and him.

A thought entered his mind. Hadn't any of them tried to seduce or attack Monster?

Well, attacking him seemed ridiculous, especially considering he had destroyed two facilities on his own.

But convincing him...?

Kal remembered the surprised look on Monster's face when Kal had first told him "Good morning"; the thoughtful look on Monster's face when they were talking about Nightwing and Flamebird (and two male being together); his interest in Kal's Krypton life. It didn't mean Monster was attracted to him, however, it was a technique no other imprisoned Kryptonians had attempted (and why should they? It was insane.). No Kryptonian before him had tried to have a good relationship with Monster. 

Kal could use the opportunity to damage the human's hierarchy and provide the Kryptonians better opportunities to gain the upper hand.

As much as it disgusted Kal to try to convince Monster, a mass murderer, he couldn't just pretend the war wasn't still ongoing and that his people were dying.

Furthermore, Kal wanted to see the sun again. He shook his selfishness away. He had a goal. How could he accomplish it?

"Talk about yourself," Selina had once advised. Such a technique seemed more in Kal's arsenal than trying to use Selina-like seduction to achieve his purpose. He shivered. He'd need to pretend he still wanted to be friendly with them despite everything, without making it looked forced.

Sleep overcame him like a precious gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I'd be able to post the two last chapters tonight... Well, I'll try to find the time tomorrow to edit them.


	5. Bruce

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. Life happened. This chapter also took a long time to edit.

Kal wanted nothing more than to lock himself in his room and pretend he didn't know the truth about the human invasion's purpose.

Instead, he had decided to throw himself wholeheartedly on the impossible task of convincing a mass-murderer to do his bidding.

'Don't worry,' his mother had once told him with an entertained smile, 'Showing up as yourself is half the battle. That's how your father managed to convince me to spend time with him despite his defunct conversational skills.'

Kal straightened out his tunic for the third time. He had to convince Monster.

He grimaced, disgusted. He needed to see him as other than the mass-murderer Monster or it wouldn't work.

Bruce.

He repeated the name aloud. It sounded human, but not altogether threatening. Different but interesting.

He was tall and beautiful with his piercing eyes. Kal could fool himself into thinking the eyes were the colour of the sky he so missed. Maybe, he could force himself to look at Monster and smile if he thought of Krypton's exceptional sunrise and sundown colour.

_Fury red danced upon the delicate canvas that was Krypton's sky. Laughter came easy; compassion even more so. Yet, here I stand on the ruins of yesterday, deploring the loss of what was. 'Tomorrow lives,' sings the rain. 'Come dance', the breeze requests. I hear them not; a black pit lives in my chest and no word can ever reach the deepest recesses of my heart..._

His eyelids fell upon his tired eyes. Despair didn't suit him.

Breakfast was a tensed affair between Kal and Bruce. However, by the time Duke appeared for the archive project, Kal almost felt terrible for the way he had acted the previous morning.

Duke observed him like he was a skittish animal before sitting as far away as he could from Kal. The Kryptonian couldn't blame him for that behaviour. Duke plugged in his ear-plugs. Although Kal was now used to it, he still found it disgusting. That day they worked in silence. But, the next, they returned to discussing the details that had to be incorporated in the archive.

On the third day, Duke looked at him and asked, "Have you figured out how we got here?"

Kal had thought about it and the solution was simple enough. "You met aliens with advanced technology."

Duke nodded. "Kryptonians scouts made contact with Earth."

"Kryptonians?" Kal had thought space voyages were extremely restricted by the Council.

"Yes, Kryptonians. Apparently, our sun gave them special powers. It may or may not be the reason why they attacked us. The authorities were still investigating that aspect of the event when we had to depart."

Unease settled in Kal's guts. If the meeting had gone well, why would humans be invading Krypton?

"What did they do?"

"They murdered, intentionally or not, 2.7 billion humans in less than 24 hours." Kal was horrified. How was that even possible?

Duke paused a few moments. "We tried everything until we discovered they were weak to magic. That's how we defeated them."

"Magic?" The unease in his gut only grew stronger. Selina had mentioned that Bruce was possessed.

The younger boy's gaze held worry in them. "Selina didn't lie. Bruce is possessed by a demon. When Earth's leaders reached the consensus that a group should be sent to stop the Kryptonian threat from destroying Earth again, Bruce was nominated as the leader of the suicide expedition. Back then," Duke deflated, "we had much less information with which to make an informed decision. The only thing we knew worked against Kryptonians was magic. We needed strong magic to even stand a small chance of upsetting the balance. Based on the information available to us, we knew there was a planet full of people who could- and would, if experience had taught us anything- destroy us for no reason."

Kal could already see how fear had inspired humans to take defensive actions against the threat. "And now you're doing the same to us?"

Duke shook his head. "Not initially. After transforming the scouts' vessel to accommodate a small army, volunteers older than eighteen years old were invited to join.

Our trip didn't go smoothly at all... That's a story for another time, though.

When we landed on Krypton, we quickly noticed that Kryptonians were not as powerful as they were on Earth. It was good news for us.

We then sent a team to negotiate. Their heads were sent back as a message the Council disapproved our presence on Krypton and would not negotiate with 'terrorists.' They even denied sending out the scouts."

Kal could see why they had denied it; the Council had imposed stringent laws on interplanetary travel; they would have seemed hypocritical if they had covertly done it themselves.

"They refused to address our worries and they threatened us with death if we didn't leave the planet within a day."

"What about the Green Lanterns? Couldn't they have intervened in this mess?" Kal asked, vaguely remembering their role as the universe's police.

Duke's lips curled up in a sad smile. "Kryptonians had refused to recognize their authority and had basically booted them out of their planet. The Green Lanterns couldn't involve themselves until they were asked to by the Kryptonians."

"Why didn't you leave and regroup home with the new information?" Kal was looking for the flaws in the humans' reasoning.

"The ship was heavily damaged. And, by explaining our situation, we had disclosed just how easy it would be to invade Earth. Two average Kryptonians killed more than a quarter of humanity in 24 hours. Anyone privy to that information in Krypton could prepare and execute a hostile take-over of our planet. It was clear the Kryptonian Council would not have intervened. We did a threat assessment."

A simple calculation had sparked the war.

"Even if the humans had stolen means to fly home, they would have to live forever in worry that the Kryptonians were coming to invade them."

"You could have gone home," Kal forced himself to say.

Duke smiled sadly. "And trust Kryptonians would never come to Earth again? Your Council doesn't exactly inspire trust. They denied any wrongdoing, killed our negotiators, threatened us with death and insulted us for being less technologically advanced. Moreover, the average Kryptonians didn't even know we tried to negotiate before this war broke out."

Another missed opportunity...

"Our options were becoming extremely limited. Bruce decided to destroy Kryptonians' ships in a show of force. We didn't have the actual technological arms to defeat yours," Duke added.

"He walked in with his... demon and burned everyone," Kal stated. His horror of the act was still intact.

Duke grimaced. "There wasn't supposed to be any casualties. It was a show of force to make the Council reconsider his options and a way to slow down any possible attack on Earth. Unfortunately, magic isn't much of an exact science even back home."

It was easy to connect the remaining dots. The Council, in its arrogance, couldn't let the primitive species 'win' against them. They deployed their massive army.

The humans must have understood it had now become impossible to stop the war. Furthermore, they had given Kryptonians the incentives to invade Earth as retaliation. Faced with the weight of Earth's survival, they opted to commit genocide so no Kryptonian could ever invade Earth. They were desperate...

Kal could remember the Council's stories circulating about the human invasion. None of them gave out all the details. The Council had assured the Warriors had the situation well in hand; that they were so technologically advanced they would win against a primitive species.

They clearly hadn't learned from their first loss. The humans used magic until their guerrilla group acquired access to the Kryptonians' technology. Since then, the Council's promises of an easy victory had shifted.

As much as Kal wanted to lay the blame squarely on the humans, he could understand this wasn't completely their fault.

"Couldn't the Council ask for the Green Lantern Corps's help now?" Kal asked.

Duke shrugged. "Do you think they would rather have all Kryptonians die or ask one of their rivals to help them stop a primitive species from destroying them?" He didn't need to spell out how arrogant the Council was. Kal had heard his father deal with them enough to know they were insufferable.

He balled his fists. "Who's winning?"

The young adult winced and swallowed. "I wouldn't call what we are doing winning..."

Kal hated how helpless and uncomfortable both he and Duke felt in this messy tragedy. For the first time since their introduction, Kal felt he and Duke were completely on the same page.

***

Within a week of the genocide revelation, things had mostly returned to how it was prior to Kal's outburst. He was surprised Bruce wasn't actively avoiding him. Still, he could tell there was an underlying strum of tension within the household. Only Selina seemed immune to it.

Kal knew Bruce rarely stayed a full week with them; meaning, this wasn't a chance he should pass upon.

"Bruce." The man's head whipped up in shock (well, shock for Bruce- in other Kryptonians, this sort of reaction would have been proof of a focus of interest). Kal mildly realized he had never called him 'Bruce' to his face before.

"Is the sky the same colour on Earth and Krypton?" It was a question the artist in him had wanted to ask since the beginning of his interactions, one he hadn't let himself verbalize before today.

Bruce tilted his head and seemed to consider the question much more seriously than Kal had intended. "Yes and no. Earth's sky's colour varies much more in hues than here. Sometimes, it appears purple, red or grey. There's also more clouds in the Earth's atmosphere."

Kal nodded. "Duke once told me Earth's variety in botany is truly breathtaking."

"We don't have growing crystals."

Kal paused. It was time for his gamble. "Do you have any photos from your time on Earth?" It was personal without being too personal.

"Some."

"Could I see them?"

In the silence that followed, Kal could almost see Bruce's defensive shield rising.

"Would you like to see mine?" Selina offered from the couch from where she was lounging.

"Yes, I would." What other choice did he have?

By the time he turned back in Bruce's direction, the man had disappeared inside his room. Selina settled up in the seat next to Bruce's.

"That was smooth, Kal," Selina mocked. He blinked innocently. Connecting with Bruce was probably the hardest part of his plan.

Her elbows settled on the table's smooth surface. "His three eldest died one year ago while they were trying to negotiate with the Kryptonians. His youngest is back on Earth with Bruce's foster father. All of his photos are of them."

"He has kids?" Kal was surprised Bruce had children of his own seeing how he was now murdering children for a living.

"Sure does," Selina casually admitted. "Are you really trying to stop this war? Or are you trying to harm Bruce? Only one affirmative is okay with me."

Kal looked at her with sheer determination. "I have a plan to stop this war and I need Bruce's help."

"You have a plan? Let's hear it, then."

"I need to tell him in person and I need his trust," Kal unrelentingly continued.

"The first is easy enough. The second is near impossible," Selina responded. "I'm his childhood friend and, sometimes, I doubt he even trusts me."

Kal cocked his head. "Why are you telling me all that? Why have Duke and you giving me all of this information, now of all time?"

The human smiled as if he was the strange one. "That's something you'll have to find out by yourself. Knock on Bruce's door when you're ready for answers." She paused and leaned in. "Oh, and I wasn't kidding about not allowing you to hurt Bruce. When you lose as much as we both have, you learn how to cling to what's important in life."

The problem with Selina, Kal thought as she walked away, is that she always acted the same. It became impossible to distinguish when she was serious and when she wasn't. However, in this instance, Kal was a hundred percent sure she was serious.

Bruce's door fell in his field of vision and Kal considered it with anxiety and something akin to burning curiosity.

His hands knocked on the door in the way humans forced their presence on their victim; Kal had always thought this was aggressive behaviour. He felt no qualms being impolite now.

The door swooshed open.

From the glances he'd steal inside when the door opened, Kal knew the room was always bathed in darkness. It was something else to drag himself in it.

"Bruce," Kal called out, unable to see anything.

"Kal," Bruce curtly answered, "Come in."

"No."

"Good choice," a third, repulsive, voice joined in. Kal felt shivers run down his spine as if he was subject of the Kirlyj prank.

"Shut up," Bruce snapped at his demon. "Kal, it'll be hard to speak if you're on the other side of the room."

Even Kal could see the darkness was heavier on Bruce's side of the room.

"If you come over," the slimy voice continued, "I'll gouge your eyes and feed on your guts."

"He can't, Kal." Bruce sounded frustrated by Kal's lack of followthrough.

"Is that what you tell them all? That you have me under control? The blackness in your soul feeds me, mortal. I grow ever stronger." The demon sounded almost amused.

"Kal, did you have anything you wished to discuss with me?"

The Kryptonian took his courage in his two hands and he stepped in the encompassing dark. It felt cold and disquieting.

"Do you still want to put an end to this war?" Kal bravely asked. Whisps of deeper dark seemed to drift ominously past him.

"Yes." The voice seemed weary, exhausted. "I want this to end."

"That's a lie," the demon stated. "You like this... destruction... this chaos. You like the power to take monsters' lives. You like this rush of importance."

Kal steeled himself from stepping back. "We can stop it, Bruce." He needed to trick himself into thinking this was Bruce, the reclusive family man. Not Monster, the destroyer.

"Yesss, you can end it, mortal. Plunge this world into perpetual darkness... Let no light shine upon this damned planet."

Bruce didn't answer for some time. The demon filled the silence with horrible promises.

"Are you willing to do it?" Bruce softly asked.

"Yes."

"We'll go when the demon's strength falters," Bruce responded.

Kal nodded and couldn't get out of the room fast enough. He could almost feel the unpleasant tendrils of the demon floating around him.

He wheezed.

Of course, Bruce was the mastermind behind everything Kal had come up with. How else had a man from such a backward planet managed to start winning a war with a few hundred humans and an unruly demon? He had to be a better strategist than Kryptonians were comfortable with.

He'd ask reports from Duke and Selina to note his progress. Kal had been used as a pawn.

Before he could think things through, his fist hit the wall in frustration. Duke looked up from his meal and calmly remarked, "I see that you've spent time with Bruce."

Kal shook his painful fist. "Why do you even work for him?"

Duke shrugged. "On a good day, it beats playing sudoku." The game was one Duke had taught Kal a few weeks ago. Because it was a game of numbers from 1-9, it was easier to convert the numbers in Kryptonian than to translate words and sentences.

"Funny," Kal grumbled. "What's his plan?"

The young adult cocked his head and eat another piece of crunchy Blik-il.

Kal gritted his teeth. They were only ever telling him whatever they need; never more, never less. He sat in front of Duke. "Selina told me three of his kids are dead and one is waiting at home. Did you know any of them?"

Duke swallowed. "I knew them all," he finally admitted, quietly. Kal blinked. Duke knew Bruce's family back home and he had even admitted Selina and Bruce were like his family.

"Can I ask what happened to your parents?" Kal couldn't imagine not feeling close to his parents.

Duke looked a bit sick. "They... got poisoned by a madman. I used to go see them all the time. They didn't get better."

Before Kal could ask anything more, Bruce was suddenly coming in the room. "Kal, let's go."

Kal rose and nodded in Duke's direction. "See you." Forgive me, he wanted to say. Duke's eyes seemed sad as he nodded in his direction.

Bruce stared at Duke. "Duke, I know you'll keep everything under control when I'm gone. I'll be keeping you updated as we go. You know the protocols."

Duke swallowed and nodded. "Yes."

A complex emotion seemed to pass on the older man's face; one that was mirrored on Duke's face.

"Take care," Bruce said, gentler than Kal had ever heard.

"You, too," Duke answered. "Aren't you going to see Selina?"

Bruce turned in Selina's door's direction. "Better not." With one last hesitation, he passed his hand Duke's hair. "Don't forget to sleep."

"I won't," Duke replied stiltedly.

The older human joined Kal at the crystal hut's main door. He pressed a few things to deactivate the alarm and he threw (what looked like) a blanket at Kal. "Put that on. We're going incognito." Kal obeyed.

Together, they made their way to a small Kryptonian ship, avoiding humans as best as they could.

"Stay here," Bruce ordered as he pushed him in the civilian transport. Kal curiously examined the control panel that had been obviously modified by humans. Could he figure out how it worked? Before he could touch anything, Bruce was back with a laser gun. He sat at the pilot's seat and gestured Kal to take the copilot's seat.

"We modified it so Kryptonians couldn't make it fly," Bruce stated as he fired up the engine. "The only thing you can activate is the radio and it will only connect with either Selina or Duke."

Soon, the craft was in the air. "Where are we going first?"

Kal swallowed. An outsider would think he is a traitor even if he was doing this for his people.

"DFn-90 in Area 23-TrN, Sector Q-90K."

Bruce nodded.

Kal hated what he was doing. However, how else was he supposed to stop this?

"I'm not familiar with how magic work," Kal admitted, ill at ease, "but, I'm fairly certain you have to pay a price to the demon. Is it too personal to ask what you paid?"

"It's a demon: of course, I paid a price."

When Kal realized the man wasn't planning on adding anything more, he continued. "What do demons want?"

"Body parts or souls, mostly. That's at least what an expert told me." The human was still as stoic as he adjusted their trajectory.

"Don't you know more about your deal?"

"As a general rule, I hate magic. But, yes, I know enough about my deal." Kal almost raised one eyebrow at that. Almost.

"I know what I will lose," Bruce added in the silence.

"Is that why you pray your god?" Kal could understand the need to ask for help or guidance. He'd always relied on Rao to give him the necessary strength to power through his hardship, even today's.

A frown marred the human's face. "I pray for them." It took Kal a few moments to realize Bruce meant his sons.

"The closer you get to hell, the more you believe in heaven." The human looked pained as he gave a self-deprecating snort. "I... stopped praying when my parents died. Back then, it didn't matter if God existed or not. Now... now, I think He exists."

Kal wasn't exactly sure what to feel about the confession. "Does he weaken the demon?"

Bruce looked outside. "We've arrived. Stay inside. I'll soon be back."

He folded into the night and the ship's door closed behind him. Kal closed his eyes and swallowed as he gripped his seat's armrest. This was the first one.

Bruce silently came back. He didn't say a word as he took his seat. Neither did Kal. His heart pounded.

"Where now?"

"PFn-12 in Area 63-TvN, Sector Q-90K."

Bruce nodded.

"Does it get easier?" Kal asked, uncertain whether he really wanted to know the answer.

"It shouldn't," came the ambiguous answer.

Kal already wanted to throw up and he felt out of breath. Maybe this feeling was proof he still had a conscience.

"It's my hand, Kal, not yours," the human steadily said.

Kal felt the tears sliding down his cheeks as he looked at the dark Kryptonian sky. The beauty felt tainted.

The craft slowly stopped beside a crystal sculpture. Bruce lingered just a bit. "It'll be soon over, Kal. You can talk to Duke or Selina if you want. That's why I didn't completely disable the radio." He left again.

Kal wiped the tears away. Everything was going according to Bruce's plan. Realization dawned on Kal. Maybe, it shouldn't. Maybe...

Quickly, Kal radioed the hut, the one who had grown to be his home in the past months.

"Hello?" Duke answered.

"Can... I speak with Selina? It's important."

"One moment."

"Kal." Selina sounded like she always did. Maybe she played Bruce's emotional support on other missions.

Kal opened his mouth and asked his questions. In the beginning, she was reluctant to answer them all. Then, she seemed to understand his intent. She promised she'd check up on what he wanted just before Bruce entered the craft.

They travelled to their next objective. Kal knew better than to waste time with regrets.

"What are your sons like?"

Bruce didn't turn his head. "You're making this harder than it needs to be."

"I know," Kal mumbled, "that's the point."

There was a stubborn silence before Bruce answered. "Dick was the most socially adept of them and the optimist. He's the one who convinced me to send the negotiation delegation. Jay, well, he's... He was the honest one and the most protective. He promised he'd protect his brothers. Tim is... was the one most like me. Calculative. Clever. He wanted to be there to get a better understanding of them."

Bruce exited the craft. Kal called Selina again and discussed until Bruce returned. They left.

"Damian," Bruce started without preamble, "is the youngest. He cares for the weak, especially animals. He's vegetarian by principle. He had a short temper, but he was working on it."

Kal nodded.

Bruce glanced at him. "He is an artist."

"And he's waiting for you, isn't he?" Kal asked.

The human's grip on the control panel tightened. "Shut up."

Kal observed Bruce's face. "He's waiting for his family to come back. I know that's what my parents are doing."

"Shut up." Bruce's tight control had slipped. Kal had wanted to see who he really was and he had gotten a good glimpse.

The human focused his attention on the panel again, as his terseness faded. "I suppose I did deserve that. I did imprison you unjustly and; I did murder your people."

Deserve. Nothing was ever that simple. Still, he had a big decision to make and lots of questions to ask before then.

"Why do you kill the Kryptonians? If this was your plan all along, why even kill us?"

Bruce's hands flew on the control panel as he spoke. "We have limited access to food. The Council and Warriors triggered the food supply's facilities to explode when we take them over. We don't have the manpower to imprison Kryptonians; we barely have enough hands to pursue our guerilla warfare. As for the plan, it was only possible if I found the right Kryptonian." His voice was matter-of-factly. Apparently, he was much more comfortable explaining tactical and strategical considerations than talking about his family.

Bruce left the craft again. Selina called in this time. Kal-El directed her to give him the pertinent information. Bruce returned. There still wasn't a drop of blood on his clothes.

"Why?" Kal couldn't help asking. "Why did you burn it down?"

Bruce cringed.

Kal beseeched him, "I have the right to know, Bruce. Why did you burn them?"

The human's lips thinned.

"I thought you had control over your demon."

Bruce shook his head. "It's not that simple."

"Then, let me ask, how many people did you kill on your planet?"

"None," Bruce gritted out. Kal was stunned.

"Are Kryptonians not people enough for you?" Kal was mad.

"I lost them, Kal." The craft took a sharp turn.

"It was anger that made you murder all of them?"

"Something worse than anger," Bruce answered.

"What's worse than anger? Revenge?"

"Despair," Bruce quietly said.

Kal gaped. "Despair? Wouldn't that produce more apathy than destruction?"

Bruce looked at him with hard eyes. "Despair makes you think wars cannot be stopped. That it's ever you or them. Wars are born from fear and despair. And wars turn us all into monsters."

The poet absorbed the information as Bruce ran out again. There was only one left. He needed to choose now.

When a weary Bruce came back, Kal pondered if he had made the right call.

Bruce called Duke as they made their way to the last address. Nothing had happened in the camp since their departure, however, the conversation stalled; neither Bruce nor Duke seemed to be in a hurry to hang up.

Kal felt something twist inside of him.

This time, when they arrived, Bruce glanced at Kal. "Rip your tunic a bit and ruffled your hair. Your story is that you managed to evade us in the University, but that you were stranded in the area without communications. There's a real abandoned Hruin crystal shelter in the area. I made it seem recently lived-in. When your rations ran low, you blindly walked in the Ber-El belt and made your way home. Famished, you saw this craft near your parents' area and wanted to ask for help until you saw who I was. You followed me in, trying to figure out what a human was doing here. Got it?"

Kal obeyed. Bruce exited the craft first and Kal followed him shortly behind. He could hear the echos of his footsteps. His mouth was dry.

Bruce knocked out a few guards with his laser gun. Kal bent to verify if they were still alive. They were.

He saw Bruce find Jul-Us and use his blades on him. He saw the blood splattered all over. Jul-Us, head of the Council, had passed away without a sound.

Blood covered, Bruce headed to the Kryptonian central network center. He left the laser gun on the side of the wall as he typed in some orders for the network. It came to life. Every Kryptonians still connected to the network could see and hear Bruce.

Kal watched, transfixed, as Bruce whipped his black cape back. He was sure the civilians had an inkling who he was. Monster.

"Greetings, Kryptonians," Bruce started in their language with a harshness Kal had not previously heard in his voice. "I am Monster. Today is the Day of Reckoning. Your Council is no more. I intercepted some of your priority military correspondence. I knew where they were. Tonight, I killed them all. Your head of Council lay dead behind me."

Kal could imagine Kryptonians gasping at Bruce's speech. It was imbued with such dispassion, such lack of compassion, he truly seemed monstrous. Kal walked closer until he was next to the laser gun.

"You have no future," Bruce was telling. Kal knew this was his cue to jump in so he did.

"Stop!" Kal yelled as he pointed the laser gun in Bruce's direction, forcing his hands to stop trembling.

They hadn't discussed this part. They hadn't discussed any of it.

Kal knew what he had to do. Bruce knew Kal would do what he had to do.

Bruce turned in his direction, both of them clearly visible on the hologram broadcast.

The black cape whipped the air and, for one moment, Kal almost saw eyes looking hungrily at him.

The Kryptonian gripped his gun and he knew he had only a second or so to shoot Bruce. If he waited any longer than that, he'd be seen as weak.

He forced himself to see Monster instead of Bruce. He remembered the terror he had felt the first time he had seen him at the University; the all-encompassing fear he'd felt when he had learnt he would stay with him, the mass murderer of his people.

But Kal could only see Bruce; the father who wanted to protect his family; the socially awkward man who yearned for connections; the man who'd do anything to protect his people.

He was Kal. Kal who would pull the trigger to save his people from genocide.

In his blue eyes, Kal could see Krypton's free skies. He could also see his own reflection thrown back at him.

Bruce was Kal; Kal was Bruce.

It no longer mattered where they had come from.

Once the monster at the other end of the gun had a name, he could never go back to being a monster.

Kal pressed the trigger and; he watched Bruce's eyes close as he fell back into death.


	6. Kal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kal the hero.

Kal could hear his heart pounding in his ears. If he had not been broadcasted, he would have fallen on Bruce's body and cried. As it were, his heart felt split in two.  
However, Kal had duties to complete.

"I am Kal-El, son of Jor-El, former head of the Kryptonian Council," he proclaimed to his unseen audience. He shuffled until he could not see Bruce's fallen form. He had to focus on selling his act.

"Monster murdered our Council members. We are being killed as we speak. And, I, Kal-El ask, on behalf of all Kryptonians, ask the Green Lantern Corps's help. I don't want to presume my role in all of this. However, this has gone long enough. Pride should not blind us to our children's fate. I will not stand for these innocents' deaths any longer. Please, for Rao's sake, call the Green Lantern Corps. No more dead kids!" He yelled as he pumped his fist in the air. He could almost hear the murmurs of assent.

"Please, they are our future... Monster is vanquished; the Council members are dead. Let's put an end to this tragedy." Kal made sure to make his distressed expression visible. He slowly turned off the broadcast, knowing he barely had any time until reinforcement appeared.

He looked at Bruce's bloodied (both from Jul-Us and himself) form. Not quite sleeping.

His beauty still shone despite his head wound. The red spurting from his head made him look even paler. Almost delicate, yet, still powerful.

Was that how the humans' angels looked like?

Kal felt the change immediately. Something tugged at his mind and heart. Then, he saw Bruce. Or, more exactly, the man's soul.

The man's phantom frowned at Kal. He saw his fallen form. 

_I'm dead._

"You are." Kal pointed to his body.

_What did you do?_

Kal verified there was still no one else around before he answered: "I made a deal with your demon."

The Kryptonian could feel the outburst before it came.

 _Why would you do that?!?_ Bruce looked genuinely more upset than Kal had ever seen him while he was alive.

Kal crossed his arms. "You made a deal with the demon first."

_You're supposed to learn from my mistakes, not repeat them!_

Kal slanted one eyebrow at him. "So, I was supposed to let you rot in hell, whatever that was, for all eternity?"

_I deserve that. I started the war. I killed innocents..._ _What are your deal's stipulations?_

Kal coughed. He knew Bruce wouldn't approve. "I bet that there would be no wars between Kryptonians and Humans in the next thirty years."

 _What did you place as collatoral?_ If phantoms could grit their teeth, Bruce definitively would have.

"My soul."

Bruce's expletives were surely insulting. Kal couldn't be certain what they meant, seeing how they were said in a human language.

Unfortunately, Kal didn't have the time to study human insults right now.

"Bruce, if there is no war in the next thirty years, both of our souls will be ours. That's a pretty good deal if you think about it."

_It's a horrible deal, you moron!_

Kal frown at the angry phantom. "Bruce, you can't take all the blame for the war; you're only one person. Both Kryptonians and humans are at fault..." He could see Bruce's ready reply on the tip of his tongue.

Maybe he should change tactic. "Bruce, you helped make this mess. You should help me clean up." Bruce shut up. Guilt-tripping Bruce seemed to be work better than to rationalize his part in the tragedy.

"Our fates are linked, Bruce. I hope you're not too bothered by the fact you're soul-bonded with your killer."

_I don't care about that. I'm angry you bet your soul for a mass-murderer's!_

Bruce was too nice; he didn't seem that upset his soul was stuck to his killer's.

Kal could hear someone coming. "We'll talk later, okay? I don't want to seem more lunatic than I am."

 _Only a lunatic would have offered your stupid gamble._ Bruce bit back aggressively.

Kal didn't get the chance to respond. Warriors were arriving. He still had work to do.

****

  
_Three days later..._

_Hal's delegation had finally been authorized to intervene on Krypton._

_The Green Lantern Corps had not budged from their formal requirement that the Kryptonian leader is the one calling in the reinforcement. It had taken three days for Kal-El the Hero to be named as the leader after he had killed Bruce on television._

_Damn him! Oh sure, Hal, I got a plan to get the Green Lantern Corps involved. Don't worry. It's all under control._

_Under control, my ass!_

_Hal wanted to punch something hard. Preferably an alive Bruce's face._

_Hal couldn't complain about the Green Lantern Corps finally intervening. However, had Bruce needed to die? Didn't the asshole realize that Hal would be the one delivering the news back home? To Alfred and Damian?_

_What an asshole! Of course, he would be as much a pain in the butt after he died than when he was alive._

_Hal would not cry._

_F*ck. Bruce had even monologued like a villain before his death. He was always the one complaining about the lack of efficiency in disclosing your plan to others. Talk about the gallows' humour..._

_Selina and Duke had known, Hal figured._

_It had to be normal to feel bitter your colleague didn't even say a polite "goodbye asshole" before dying._

_The Green Lantern Corps was to meet, separately, the new head of the human invasion team, Selina Kyle, and the new head of the Kryptonians, Kal-El. Hal had advised it would be a terrible idea to meet them together._

_Kal-El entered the room first. He looked completely different from three days ago; he didn't look like a rebel. Gone was the clothes that didn't fit; the ruffled hair and; the passionate eyes. Instead, he wore a simple but fitting tunic and pants emblazed with the El name (an S); his hairstyle was orderly (except for one stray curl) and; his eyes were calculating._

_"It is an honour to receive you in our humble home," the Kryptonian's leader said with a polite smile. "It is unfortunate it is under such poor circumstances."_

_Hal didn't listen to the rest of the discussion. Rather, he studied the Kryptonian in front of him. Had Bruce chosen Kal for the role? Why him? It was true he was the son of Jor-El, the previous Council head before he had been discredited, but he was a renown poet, not a warrior nor a leader..._

_He must have known all the Council members' name and address, Hal realized with a start._

_The delegation thanked Kal-El for his time and invitation._

_"Human Green Lantern, may I have a word with you?"_

_The other members of the delegation exchanged dubious looks; he was the only human member here. Maybe they feared Kal-El would take offence at his presence._

_"Sure, why not."_

_Hal joined Kal-El. The rest of the Corps was far enough not to overhear._

_"Hal Jordan, Bruce wanted to pass you a message for his son, Damian."_

_Whoa. There was a difference between Bruce choosing someone to lead the Kryptonians and someone he'd entrust with his son's information._

_"Okay, stop."_

_Kal-El stopped and blinked at him. The poor guy looked lost._

_"There's no way Bruce would have told you that information. He would have given it to Selina, not you."_

_Kal-El looked slightly to Hal's left. Hal glanced. There was nothing. Creepy._

_Kal-El swallowed. "Well, I seem to be stuck as his medium. He can't communicate with anyone else nor be seen by anyone else."_

_Hal's face scrunched in puzzlement. "He's dead."_

_Kal-El nodded. "And now he's a... ghost?"_

_Hal looked around._

_"Now, he's calling you an idiot. He says that we just told you that you couldn't see him." That sounded like Bruce to a T._

_"He's calling me an idiot!?! He's the one who got killed!"_

_Kal-El's face fell. Hal wasn't sure if he should berate the guy or comfort him. What the hell...?_

_"He's telling me your delegation is becoming impatient. So, he wants you to transmit the following message to his son. 'He's sorry he couldn't come back. He's sorry he missed his son becoming a man. He loves him and he is proud of him.' That's it. He's asking whether you think you can remember that or does he need to write it down?"_

_What an ass...!_

_"F*ck you!" Hal yelled around. Kal seemed more amused than insulted, "It was nice meeting you, Hal. I'm sure we'll see each other again."_

_Hal wasn't sure what to say so he simply nodded and went on his way._

_He glanced back once. Kal smiled at him._

_Maybe a lasting peace was possible if this Bruce-haunted-guy was the one in charge of the Kryptonian side._

_Only time would tell._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally done!


End file.
